Looks cool.

SOUL MAN™ Teaser 2 Guillaume Ivernel (Blacklight Movies) from Blacklight Movies on Vimeo.

SOUL MAN™ Teaser 2 Guillaume Ivernel (Blacklight Movies) from Blacklight Movies on Vimeo.

All-Star Superman is the 10th movie in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line. It’s based on a 12-issue series of the same name written by comic book fanboy favorite Grant Morrison. The previous movies include, Superman: Doomsday, Batman: Gotham Knight, Green Lantern: First Flight, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, and Batman: Under the Red Hood.  Basically, the story is about Superman’s impending death due to some maneuvering by Lex Luthor and how Superman/Clark Kent is dealing with it.  Sounds like that could be a potentially great story.

Let me start by saying that of the previous 9 releases, I liked each and every one of them. They were all animated well and the voice acting was great. For some reason, this movie was a miss for me. It might be that I don’t like the story, because I didn’t like the series it was based on. However, I think it’s more than that. The animation was fine, but I’ve seen better. The voice acting was okay, but it could have been better. Edward Asner as Perry White and Anthony LaPaglia as Lex Luthor were great, but it seems as if everyone else was either phoning it in or half-asleep. Maybe there wasn’t as much enthusiasm from the production team for this movie as it has been for the previous ones. It seems that this might be a theme of DC Comics. Start great with something and once fans get interested and excited about it, don’t work as hard on it anymore because fanboys will still buy it. I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s just not as good as the other movies have been.

DC has been getting a lot of props for these animated movies. They do them so much better than Marvel, but this movie shows there might be a few kinks in DC’s armor. If you’re a die hard DC fan or Superman fan, you’ll probably love this movie. Most people should just skip it.

Source: Comics Alliance

The fury of Black Dynamite is legendary and will not be confined to just one or even two feeble mediums! Following recent news that the blaxploitation parody would make the jump from film to comics (courtesy of Ape Entertainment), it was revealed Thursday that a new Black Dynamite animated series is in the works for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

The story of an ex-CIA agent with vengeance in his heart and uncommonly good luck with women, “Black Dynamite” premiered in limited release in 2009, became an instant success with critics, and has since become a beloved cult home video. Based on the Michael Jai White film, the animated “Black Dynamite” will be Executive Produced by “The Boondocks’” Carl Jones and star much of the live-action film cast in voice-over roles, including White, Tommy Davidson, Kym Whitley, Byron Minns, Clifton Powell and JB Smoove.

Released in 2009, and already a cult smash, Black Dynamite is about to receive the comic book treatment from the folks at Ars Nova and Ape Entertainment. Set to appear in the one-shot, Black Dynamite: Slave Island, everyone’s favorite blaxploitation sensation will bring his kung-fu skills to the sequential page as he seeks to put an end to a mysterious island… where slavery still exists.“Fans of the film will feel right at home with the comic,” states Ape Entertainment founder and co-publisher Brent E. Erwin. “It has all of the elements that made the movie a cultural phenomenon, and Black Dynamite himself is still as much of a bad dude on the page as he is on the screen.”Directed by Scott Sanders, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and stars Michael Jai White as Black Dynamite, a gun-toting, nunchuck-wielding, ladies man willing to fight all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House.“Although written for film, Black Dynamite was always meant to move beyond the camera,” continues Sanders. “As a medium, comic books seemed like such a logical step in Black Dynamite’s development as a character, and what better way to start than having him bring down the infamous Slave Island.”Black Dynamite: Slave Island is based on a story by Michael Jai White, Byron Minns and Scott Sanders. Written by Brian Ash with pencils by Jun Lofamia, the 48-page one-shot is due in stores in early 2011.

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]]> http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/10/01/animated-black-dynamite-coming-to-adult-swim-black-dynamite-comic/feed/ 1 http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/07/29/batman-under-the-red-hood/ http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/07/29/batman-under-the-red-hood/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:19:07 +0000 Bedlam http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/07/29/batman-under-the-red-hood/

Before reading this, if you haven’t read Batman: A Death in the Family this review will contain POSSIBLE SPOILERS.  If you haven’t read it and you are a fan of Batman or DC’s animated movies then you will enjoy this movie.  For those of you who have read it please feel free to read on.

In stores today, Batman: Under the Red Hood is one of the darker stories in the DC universe.  As everyone knows (so it’s not a spoiler) that the Joker killed Robin, Jason Todd, because of a telephone poll done by DC in 1988.  Subsequently, Jason Todd was “resurrected” in the DC universe.  This movie is the animated version of that story.

Bruce Greenwood (Captain Pike in Star Trek) voices Bruce Wayne/Batman instead of Kevin Conroy, the voice that we all know and love.  Greenwood does a fabulous job.  Neil Patrick Harris voices Dick Grayson/Nightwing and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) voices the Red Hood/Jason Todd.  Both of them were also very good.  I missed Mark Hamill as the Joker but John DiMaggio did well enough.

The story is not unfamiliar to fans of Batman.  I thought they may have glossed over Jason’s resurrection a little fast in order to put in more action sequences.  I would have thought more interaction between him an Ra’s al Ghul would have made for a great subplot.  I really liked the team up with Batman and Nightwing, and how the writers were able to show how it differed from when Batman and Red Hood teamed up.

The animation to me was not as good as DC’s previous animated films, but the story made up for that.  I say see it and enjoy.  Just a reminder, it has graphic violence even for DC animation; it is rated PG-13. (It really is PG-13 and would probably be an R if it were live action.)

YOUNG JUSTICE is an all-new series produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based upon the characters from DC Comics. In YOUNG JUSTICE, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over – to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of passage? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? The members of Young Justice—Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis—are about to find out.

 You can read more  about the show at MTV Splash Page,  but I do have one question that needs to be answered,  whats up with the blonde hair on the the black guys.    First it was Spyke in  X-men Evolution and now with Aqualad in Young Justice, if I didn’t know better you would think the streets are full young black guys with blonde hair who secretly want to be Sysko for Dru Hill.

This week Halo Legends was released on DVD and Blu-Ray.  I must admit that I don’t really play first person shooters.  And everyone tells me that Halo is the best of the best.  I have dabbled in the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty franchises and I even downloaded N.O.V.A. for the iPod Touch.  They are fantastic games, but I can’t play them more than 20 minutes at a time.  However, I do watch the cut scenes for many FPS on YouTube.  So, when I heard about this, I thought that it was just going to be a collection of new Halo cut scenes, until I heard it was going to be similar to how Animatrix was to The Matrix.  That got me interested.

The release is comprised of 7 animated short stories.  Each story delves into part of the Halo canon.  Fleshing out some things, and shedding light onto others.  Each episode was done in a different animation style.  Fans will appreciate that the material in the stories are canon.  Fans will like the episodes The Package and The Babysitter since they add to the mythos of the Spartans.  My favorite episode was The Duel.  I liked the animation and the story was a classic.  The Duel also gave you insight into the workings of the Covenant.  But I believe that most fans already know that the Covenant is not as monolithic as one would think.

Overall, I enjoyed watching it and I think anyone whose a fan of animation will appreciate this collection of stories.  I know most of the fans of the game will already have this, I would still recommend it for everyone else.

According to Rich Johnston at bleedingcool.com  this could be the new Aqualad from a rumored “Young Justice”  animated feature from the folks at DC.

Source:  Marvel.com

There are some places you just don’t mess with. Wakanda is one of them. And this Saturday at 8:15 PM on ABC3 Australia, “The Black Panther Animated Series” will show you why!

Deep in the heart of Africa lies Wakanda, an advanced and unconquerable civilization. A family of warrior-kings possessing superior speed, strength and agility has governed this mysterious nation as long as time itself. The latest in this famed line is young King T’Challa, the great hero known worldwide as the Black Panther.

Here’s a preview of Episodes 1 and 2 from The Black Panther Animated Series:

Episode 1: Jan 16 at 8.15pm on ABC3 in Australia

In a top-secret Washington meeting, Intelligence Agent Everett Ross briefs the government on the history of the Black Panther, the warrior king of the African nation of Wakanda. Meanwhile on the other side of the world, the Black Panther must compete to defend his throne in hand-to-hand combat. Featuring the voices of Djimon Hounsou, Kerry Washington, Alfre Woodard and Jill Scott.

Episode 2: Jan 16 at 8.42pm on ABC3 in Australia
Having been crowned the new Black Panther, T’Challa must contend with jealousy in the royal court while searching for the man who murdered his father. Unbeknownst to him, a deadly assassin named Klaw is assembling a team of super-villains to attack Wakanda.

Marvel Animation and BET Networks team up to create this epic animated mini-series featuring classic Marvel characters like Captain America
and the Juggernaut in a taut politically charged thriller. For over four decades, fans have eagerly awaited a series adaptation of the first black super hero!

Official Press Release

As the voice of Black Lightning, LeVar Burton adds another level of fanboy cache to a cast thick with legends of the super hero genre in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the next entry in the popular series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies boasts a cast headed by the definitive voices of its three central characters – Kevin Conroy (Batman), Tim Daly (Superman) and Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor), the original voices from the landmark Superman: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series.

Burton is forever beloved by the sci-fi crowd for his memorable performance as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation and its feature film versions. However, Burton has done far more than go “where no man has gone before.”

In a career that essentially launched with his breakthrough performance in the landmark miniseries Roots, Burton has garnered seven Emmy Awards, three Image Awards, a Peabody as well as a Grammy, and in 1990 was permanently enshrined as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Along the way, Burton has been a virtual fixture on television screens – from his 176 episodes of Next Gen and 150 episodes of Reading Rainbow, to another 41 episodes of The $10,000 Pyramid and 58 episodes as Kwame in Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Along the way, he has also directed several episodes of the last four Star Trek series (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise), appeared in feature films (most notably as Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ali), and even spent some time in the recording booth for Batman: The Animated Series, Gargoyles and Family Guy.

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new Superman/Batman: Public Enemies on September 29, 2009 in a Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def edition, a special edition 2-disc DVD, and a single disc DVD. Warner Home Video will distribute the action-packed movie, which will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download that same day.

Burton’s turn as Black Lightning brought him back to the recording booth – and while he was there, he took the time to discuss the joys of playing a super hero, his childhood comic book memories on a military base in Germany, the importance of reading, and the use of sci-fi as an inspiration for our future. Here’s LeVar …

QUESTION:
Was it difficult to settle on a voice for Black Lightning?

LEVAR BURTON:
I think everybody has a super hero that lives inside of them, so I just went to that place, that deep kind of super hero voice.

QUESTION:
What were your comic book habits as a kid?

LEVAR BURTON:
I grew up, part time, in Germany. My father was in the military, so we used to trade comic books for entertainment. On Saturdays, you took your box with all your comic books and you went around from apartment building to apartment building, trading comic books with the other American kids living on the base. Television was in German (language), so we didn’t watch TV – we read comics. But this was before black super heroes came around – they didn’t start appearing until the ’70s. So it’s mildly exciting for me to actually have a chance to play a black super hero today.

QUESTION:
Choose one: Batman or Superman?

LEVAR BURTON:
When I was a kid, it was always Batman over Superman. Batman had all the cool stuff, and he just had a vibe. Superman was the All-American guy but, with Batman, there’s a little something going on. Batman’s history was a little edgier, and there was just something really attractive to me about the cowl. Superman is all out there, even though he does the Clark Kent thing, but Batman keeps his identity hidden. He has this double life that’s very sexy, very attractive for a kid. Not that I didn’t like Superman – the whole kryptonite thing is all well and good – but Batman was my guy.

QUESTION:
What makes comic books great literature?

LEVAR BURTON:
People ask me all the time, because I did Reading Rainbow on PBS for 25 years, “How do I get my kids to read?” And I say, “Find something that they’re passionate about.” If it’s comic books that they want to read, then buy them comic books, for goodness sakes. Comic books are good literature and, like science fiction, they have a tendency to really draw us toward that part of ourselves that imagines that which we create.

I’m one of those people that believes that there was some kid back in the 1960s watching Star Trek, and he kept seeing Captain Kirk pull out this communicator and flip it open – and that kid grew up and became an engineer, a designer of products, and we now have a device that is more common than the toaster. How many flip phones do you see on a daily basis? That which we imagine is what we tend to manifest in third dimension – that’s what human beings do, we are manifesting machines. The metaphor of a man who has an external electronic device, something man-made that serves him and somehow serves humanity, and that he becomes so aligned with that device, with the power of that device, that at one point he can discard it – I think that’s a real metaphor for the human journey. One day we won’t need a transporter device to get from one place to another. And it begins with the wheel and then migrates through airplanes to some future technology that we can’t produce yet but we can imagine. Imagination is really the key part of the human journey, it’s the key to the process of manifesting what our heart’s desire is.

When I was a kid, it was comic books that pointed me in that direction and from comic books I went to science fiction literature, which is still one of my most favorite genres of literature to read. Don’t underestimate the power of comics and what they represent for us and how they inform us on the journey of being human – because it’s powerful. It’s very powerful. They give us permission to contemplate what’s possible. And in this world, in this universe, there’s nothing that is not possible. If you can dream it, you can do it.

QUESTION:
Can you appreciate the passion of the sci-fi fan?

LEVAR BURTON:
Oh yeah. Because I am one. When I was a kid, I read a lot of science fiction books and it was rare for me to see heroes of color in the pages of those novels. Gene Roddenberry had a vision of the future, and Star Trek was one that said to me, as a kid growing up in Sacramento, California, “When the future comes, there’s a place for you.” I’ve said this many times, and Whoopi (Goldberg) feels the same way – seeing Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of the Enterprise meant that we are a part of the future. So I was a huge fan of the original series and to have grown up and become of that mythos, a part of that family, and to represent people dealing with physical challenges, much like what Nichelle Nichols represented for people like Whoopi and myself, I can’t even begin to share with you what that means to me. It was just beyond the beyond. So I get Star Trek fans, I get science fiction fans because, again, science fiction literature is that body of literature that causes us to ask what I feel are two of the most of the most powerful words – in sequence, in language – “what if?” And that’s an open door, that’s an open door to use your imagination to dream and to dream the big dream. As an actor, I dress up for a living and I get paid for it so, to see a guy come to a convention in his costume that he’s made – it’s a good thing, you know. This guy isn’t out there beating his wife or kicking his dog, he’s engaging in a healthy fantasy role-play. I think too many grown ups forget how important that part of our lives are, the ability to imagine and to dream. So it’s all good.

QUESTION:
You’re Black Lightning for this film. If you could play any super hero role, do you have a role you covet?

LEVAR BURTON:
Well, I’ll start with Black Lightning. That ain’t a bad place to start. I mean, come on, if you’re going to play a super hero, why not play the first real black super hero in the pantheon? I’m good with that.

QUESTION:
Does voiceover work have any special appeal for you?

LEVAR BURTON:
I love voiceovers because, and I’m sure you hear this from actors all the time, but it’s kind of pure acting. For many years on Next Gen, I wore this visor over my eyes and one of the things that I discovered was that it’s really difficult to communicate, or it’s harder to communicate, when you can’t see someone’s eyes. As a result of playing Geordi, I really do recognize how important the voice is – and what a facile tool for communication the voice can be. When I was kid, we listened to radio a lot for entertainment and I remember how vivid that was for me. To this day, I listen to NPR and I love doing audio books – because it’s like it’s pure storytelling. It’s sitting around the fire and sharing stories, really engaging your imagination. So, as an actor, sitting in front of a microphone and creating is just so much fun because it really does break it down to its most pure and elemental level. It’s just you and the voice and the character telling a story.

QUESTION:
Does it ever feel odd to be acting all alone?

LEVAR BURTON:
Well, during the physical parts of the voiceover, when you’re doing all the action scenes, I think if you were an alien and dropped into a recording studio and were observing a session, you would really wonder about the sanity of the beings that you are observing. But it’s fun and it feels a little silly, but that’s what gets it done. When they’re in that mode, I think actors are just big kids – and we like playing in the sandbox.

For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at www.SupermanBatmanDVD.com.

Here’s the trailer for the Planet Hulk animated feature from SDCC. The film is based on the epic and critically acclaimed story from Incredible Hulk #92-105.  The film is set for release in Feb 2010.

In a Q and A sessions on CBR  Marvels Editor in Chief Joe Quesada (and new Chief Creative Officer of Animation) gave an update on the Black Panther Animated series.

“Since you’ve been involved in various Marvel animation projects, by chance have you heard any new developments about BET’s Black Panther animated series? There were some casting announcements a few months ago, but nothing since then not even a release date. Can we still expect it by the end of 2009?”

Joe Quesada:  I’m sort of coming into this in the middle and just got a DVD of the first episodewhich I plan on watching on my flight to SDCC. That said, I asked [Executive Producer] Reggie Hudlin what the status of the BET Black Panther animates series. He wrote back: “There’s a lot I can’t say, but we are deep in production, and there’s some great new additional casting that I can’t talk about right now. The series is now covering in more material than was in the original six issues, which has caused some production delays. So it won’t be airing this year. That said, the cast sports some all-star talent, including: Djimon Honsou as T’Challa, the Black Panther; Kerry Washingtonas Shuri, sister of T’Challa; Alfre Woodard as the Queen Mother and Dondi Reese; Carl Lumbly as Uncle S’Yan; and of course, Stan Lee!”

Creators Mshindo I and Gregory Walker and producer/voice artist Wesley Snipes will officially launch their animated science-fiction project, Zulu Mech 1, at Book Expo America in New York on May 30.

Walker, also known as Brother G, is the author of the Shades of Memnon trilogy, developed as a swords-and-sorcery series with an African consciousness. Mshindo I, who has also worked as Mshindo Kuumba, is a graphic artist whose work has included children’s books (Food Adventues With Charles the Chef) and graphic novels (The Fringe).

The basic plot of Zulu Mech 1 involves a kind of a reversal of the Planet of the Apes idea, with humanity as the Earth’s far-future successor civilization. Zulu Mech 1 is set in a utopian near future in which world nations are at peace and Africa is a prosperous united state, only to be invaded by strange, highly intelligent creatures called The Elder Race who come not from outer space, but from inside the Earth and who seek to return to world to the way it was before the dawn of humanity and their own self-destruction. The Elder Race seem unstoppable; in a final effort the Mthunzi family from South Africa stand against them and forge the heroic giant robot Zulu Mech 1.

“It’s Africa-based sci-fi,” explained co-author Brother G. “The Elder race is based on traditions of many African peoples that there was a creation before this creation, a world before this world that was destroyed. And the Zulu Mech is based on African practices involving spiritual ‘totems’ or power items, ancestor communication, and tapping into the power of the Earth. There are also heavy doses of nano-technolgy, advanced metallurgy, and other high-tech elements. I love the Transformers and Terminator, etc., but it’s time we had epics from another perspective. This is truly sci-fi for the age of Obama!”

Mshindo I noted that there’s more that’s unusual about Zulu Mech besides an African sensibility. “I am also a fan of giant robots; so it was great creating Zulu Mech 1,” he said. “As a mechanical creature ZM1 seems similar to other famous mechs, but believe me, he is something different. Zulu Mech 1 is unique, he is a Spiritual Cybernetic Organism.”

“I think the world will be just as pleased as I was when Brother G and Mshindo brought this ground-breaking adventure series to my attention,” said Snipes, who starred in the Blade trilogy. “Everybody knows I love sci-fi and there is really nothing like it on the market. Zulu Mech 1 can easily stand next to other epics like Star Wars on the strength of the story telling alone. But when you consider that it brings a fresh, untapped perspective to sci-fi, that really makes it hot.”

The unveiling will take place in the Expo’s African American Pavilion.

Press Release

The street date for Green Lantern: First Flight, the fifth entry in the popular DVD series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies, has shifted to July 21, 2009. A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the illuminated hero’s first-ever full-length animated film will be distributed by Warner Home Video. Green Lantern: First Flight will be available as a special edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def for $24.98 (SRP) and $29.99 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP). Order due date is June 16, 2009.

Everybody under the age of say 15 whose not a heavy comic reader,  thinks that John Stewart is the Green Lantern because of the Justice League cartoon.   I hope they at least give him a cameo in the film.   So far so good with the straght to DVD films by DC.   The recently released Wonder Woman was a great.  Hopefully this film will be just as good.   The trailer at Yahoo has me hopeful

New Mutants is a new ongoing series by writer Zeb Wells that begins in May and features the classic characters from New Mutants, including Cannonball, Magma, Sunspot, Illyana, Xi’an, and Dani Moonstar. The artist will be Diogenes Neves, most recently seen on X-Men Worlds Apart
The entire Ultimate line will be cancelled, sent off with a number of “Requiem” specials, and re-launched as Ultimate Comics.

“Planet Skaar!” begins in May. “Skaar (The Hulks Son) is finally going to come to Earth. He will slash straight to the heart of the Marvel Universe. Big things are going to happen.” The project begins with a May-shipping “Planet Skaar” prologue. The series begins in earnest in “Skaar” #11, although Pak suggest readers begin with the imminent Silver Surfer arc. Ron Lim will draw the Surfer arc, “Skaar” #8-10. It’s called “Silver Savage.”

Cryptic showed a demo of Champions On-line a superhero MMO.
Quesada’s BS answer on the price of comics  -  Why are the prices of comics so high? Quesada: “There’s an argument. When you look at the amount of work that goes into a comic book. We tend to ghettoize ourselves. We do everything we can to keep our prices down. But we live under this crucible that comics used to be ten cents. But when you look at the amount of effort and manpower and artistic talent that it goes into it, it really is a miracle that we can produce them for $2.99 and $3.99. There are lots of other places to go for artists and writings to make more money. But the truth of the matter is I remember handing a comic book to an executive who was dumbfounded that we could produce it for $2.99. I think we suffer from that. I’m not saying we should be charging twenty bucks an issue, but we do work really really hard to keep it at $2.99 and $3.99.”

Part of Brian Michael Bendis’ new contract involves him and Quesada consulting on the Marvel Studios films. The pair recently met with “Thor” director Kenneth Brannagh.

Luke Cage Mini series is in the works.

Spider-Woman comic to be releases in print and as a digital motion comic on itunes.

Wolverine and the X-Men” increased the Nicktoons viewership by 808% from last year in its first episode and 1055% in its second. A DVD of the series’ first arc will see an April 21st release, subtitled “Heroes Return,” and a second season of 26 episodes has been green lit for the show.

“Iron Man: Armor Adventures” which premiers on Friday, April 24th on Nicktoons

Marvel is releasing  “Dark Reign: Young Avengers” which finds the title characters thrust into a role they’re not used to playing. “This is a story about what happens when the next generation come along, and suddenly you aren’t the new young thing,” Cornell stated. “When you find yourself saying ‘if only you kids would calm down and listen-’ It’s the YAs finding themselves as the unlikely voices of order rather than the rebels, and being variously uncomfortable with, annoyed about and accepting of that.”

Post R.I.P. BAt-titles (with my guesses on who in what book)

- Batman
- Batman and Robin
- Red Robin
- Outsiders
- Batgirl
- Batman: The Streets of Gotham
- Gotham City Sirens

Battle for the cowl is basically is pretty much a three-way battle between Tim Drake, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd

Dollhouse is a show where certain types of people (who are called ‘Actives’) have had their individual personalities erased so they can have different types of personalities implanted. Why is this happening? Because there are apparently lots of deranged people out there with deep pockets willing to pay big bucks to have someone be anyone they want.

Didio gives the reading order for RIP and Final Crisis (why do this after you confused everybody, personlly I think it took him this long to figure it for himself). THe story started with the first issues of “R.I.P.,” going to Final Crisis #1, and then the last issue of “R.I.P.,” Batman #681, then moving to Final Crisis #3. After that falls the “Last Rites” story (Batman #682-683), and then Final Crisis #6. The next part after that, somewhat logically, was Final Crisis #7.

Let get this started with the most popular cartoon to debut this year, TMNT to the uninformed that’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.   The cartoon was based on the popular comic book series.    The cartoon was the most popular animated shows of all-time.   It started a pop culture phenomenon that included toys, breakfast cereal, etc.   The  show ran for 10 years, 3 in syndication and 7 years on CBS and aired over 193 episodes.   The show chronicled the adventures of four turtles who fell into the sewers and are befriended by Hamato Yoshi, a Japanese man who fled from New York and had nowhere to live but in the sewers. He was framed by his enemy, Oroku Saki, in a plot to kill the sensei. One day he sees a strange green glow which transforms the four turtles into human-like creatures. Hamato (now Master Splinter) changes into a giant rat from the green glow and teaches the turtles the skills of the ninja as they team up with Channel 6 news reporter April O’Neil to battle against Yoshi’s archenemy Shredder and Krang, an alien warlord from Dimension X. 

TMNT

I forgot about the Bionic Six until I started doing research for the theme week. It was basically a bionic man rip-off, but their primary nemesis Dr Scrab managed to stick in my head more than the rest of the characters. It premiered on April 19th, 1987 and lasted two seasons.   Jack Bennet, a secret agent for the CIA , had taken his family on a trip to the Himalayas. During this trip, Jack is called to duty to investigate unusual magnetic readings. He encounters aliens who are trying to obtain Bertomium, a mineral that can increase bionic abilities and give eternal life to its possessor. In a battle, Jack’s family becomes trapped under radioactive snow and they slip into a coma. Not seeing another way to save their lives, Jack permits Professor Sharp to operate on his family. Professor Sharp implants bionics in human beings, and the Bionic Six are born. Doctor Scarab creates his own bionic group from misfits taken from penitentiaries and asylums.

In this series inspired by the Bionic Man/Woman, the six members of the Bennet family use their bionic abilities to defeat the evil Dr. Scarab and his cyfrons whose goal is to use science for selfish gain. The family members each have special powers: Meg/Rock-1, with sonic disruptors and super speed; Eric/Sport-1, with magnetic powers; JD/I.Q., intelligent and strong; Bunji/Karate 1, martial artist; Helen/Mother-1, with psionic powers; and Jack, a good cook.

I always love the idea of Western set in future like Serenity,   that why I was drawn to this show.   Like most animated shows during this time it was mainly seen as commercial for the BraveStarr toy line.   The toys bombed which meant they had no need for the show so it lasted only one season.   The toys did have a unique gimmick each figure came with a Kerium nugget (I wonder they used for a Kerium nugget).   It premiered on Sept, 14th 1987 on CBS’s slate of saturday morning shows.   Kerium, a rare and powerful magic crystal, brings an infinite number of colonists from all the corners of the galaxy to the distant planet New Texas. Some are good and honest, others very malicious but no one is more dangerous than Tex Hex the leader of the Carrion Bunch, a group of outlaws under the control of the mysterious group Stampede. Hex seeks to control this immense mineral richness at all costs than is Kerium. Only one person can put a stop on his plans: BraveStarr. When there was an obstacle in the way, BraveStarr called for the power of a particular animal and used that ability to move the obstacle, like using the strength of a bear to move a boulder, or the speed of a puma to catch the criminal, the eyes of a hawk, or the ears of a wolf. To help him in the fight for the cause of justice, he had Thirty-Thirty, his horse that can transform into a human-like creature being able to stand on it’s hind legs, talk and fight alongside him. BraveStarr lived in Fort Kerium. His advisor was the wise, elderly Shaman.

Dinosaucers lasted only one season but managed to air around 65 episodes.   Today it would take about 3 years to get that number.  The was about a fleet of anthropomorphic dinosaurs from a planet called Reptilon. The Dinosaucers fought for the good of their homeworld, while the Tyrannos fought for domination of it. When the planet suffered because of the wars, the battle came to Earth, where the Dinosaucers teamed up with four young humans, who became their Secret Scouts in the new world.    The premise sounds similar to the Transformers cartoon.

The first episode of Batman: The Brave & The Bold at 8PM (EST) on Cartoon Network.   I’ll give you a review next week.   Comicbookresources has a great article about the show.  click the image for the article.

Source: THR.com

Marvel Animation is developing and self-producing a 26 half-hour episode series based on its long-running comic book, with the series targeted to launch in fall 2010, following Marvel’s live-action feature “Thor,” which bows in 2010.

The animated series will follow Thor, the Norse god of thunder, as he defends his mythical home of Asgard against fantastical villains, fiendish hordes, winged creatures and angry giants. The show will take place in various worlds — from mountainous landscapes to places of icy mists and fiery voids — and will include many of the comic’s supporting cast, including Balder the Brave, the Warriors Three and Thor’s evil adopted brother, Loki.

Marvel president of animation Eric Rollman said the series is part of the company’s plan to follow each live-action movie with an animated series and “offer a continued awareness in the marketplace.” It already is in production on cartoon series “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” which will be available for broadcast in 2011, in time for Marvel Studios’ releases of the live-action “The First Avenger: Captain America” and “The Avengers.”

It looks good and I will probably get it, but I am concerned about the price. How much do you charge for a 45 minute DVD?

Friday night the highly anticipated Star Wars: Clone Wars animated T.V. show aired two episodes on Cartoon Network.  I’ll make this brief.  The movie that was released this summer should have been the aired on the Cartoon Network first.  That movie was much more suited for T.V. and not the big screen.  But that’s beside the point.  I liked it.  There was enough of Lucas’s classic heroes in distress to keep me on the edge of my seat.   The one thing that I am looking forward to is how the writers have given the clones identites and personalities.  I think this is what is going to drive the show.  I also like Yoda, but then again, who doesn’t.  The one thing that bothers me, even though I know its for the kids, is the corny droid humor.  I can do without it.  But overall, it was entertaining.

Its about time I saw the early attempt at an Avengers cartoon in the 90′s and it was lack luster.   The problem was it was missing the core of the team like Thor, Captain America and Iron Man.   That’s like Thanksgiving with no Turkey.   Hopefully this will be Marvels answer to the Justice League cartoon.   The DC Animated Universe is the gold standard in animated superheros, starting with Batman: TAS to Justice League Unlimited.   Before anybody emails  me,  I loved the the animated X-men series at the time, but I always felt like it was good, but it could have been so much better.   Hopefully this Avengers cartoon will raise the bar on Marvel animation.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Marvel Animation, the cartoon division of Marvel Entertainment, is beginning production on “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” the company’s latest animated series.

Film Roman, the company behind “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill,” has been tapped to produce the 26-episode series, which will be available for broadcast in 2011, in time for Marvel Studios’ releases of the tentpole live-action movies “The First Avenger: Captain America” and “The Avengers.”

“Avengers,” based on the long-running comic, features some of the company’s most popular characters, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Giant Man, and the comely Wasp, who fight forces of evil that no single hero stands a chance against.

It took a while to get around to seeing this movie.  Too bad I could have just avoided it all together.  I can’t possible spoil anything for you about this movie since we know how the clone wars end, and since it takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, we know that none of the battles will have dire consequences.  That being said, I was disappointed in all aspects of  production of this m0vie.  Let me start by saying that I was trying to be optimistic about the animation but in the end it was exactly as I expected.  It looked like a Playstation 1 game extended cut scene.  Its funny how the stuff that Pixar has done has spoiled us all as to what 3D animation should look like.  In a word, it was terrible.  The characters were stiff and unrealistic.  The fight action scenes (clone/droid battles, and light saber duels) were like watching old video game sequences.  There seemed to be no care taken in trying to make the mouths match the voice actors.  The voice acting is a different issue unto itself.  The voice actors seemed to be sleeping through their roles.  The story line was predictable and formulatic. (isn’t that repetitive?)  I am going to cut this short because I could go on and on.  George Lucas should have just used this as a pilot for the TV show., instead of trying to make one last money grab from rabid loyal Star Wars fans.  Save your money and don’t waste your time.

No Rating.

Wonder Woman DVD Trailer – Amazon princess Diana rescues Steve Trevor, an Air Force pilot who crashes on her island. Intrigued by her first exposure to the outside world, she leaves the island and becomes the superhero known as Wonder Woman.

Release Date: February 2009 (DVD release)

Trailer for Hulk vs Thor / Hulk vs Wolverine animated DVD trailer. Available Jan 2009

Before it started, a Comic-Con staffer told Davis, “I’m gonna end this on time, I don’t care when it starts.” At 9:51 AM, only Davis and Hudlin were on hand for the 10 o’clock panel. He then turned the lights on and off multiple times, which was odd. People started filling in the room with gusto at about 9:55, with the level of handshakes and chatter rising accordingly. Familiar faces greeted one another as they found their way to seats.

Far from being an all-Black affair (although it did seem predominantly that way), there were faces of every ethnicity represented, including an interracial couple smooching in the second row.

John Dokes showed up at 10:04, and an iMovie presentation started about then. With humor and historical images shown, it had a soundtrack including “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” and “Stronger” by Kanye West. Davis exhorted the crowd to stand with great enthusiasm and only slightly missed audio cues. “I had it all planned out, we were gonna have the crowd stompin …”

“I’m so impressed, I walked in, people were waiting,” Davis joked. “They weren’t on time, they were early! For the Black Panel!”

“Hi, I’m Dwayne McDuffie,” Method Man joked, before social networking expert Faith Cheltenham introduced her self, one of the members of Suns of Man spoke as working with Davis, as well as Dokes, Cowan and Hudlin.

McDuffie had a conflict because he’s the show runner on “Ben 10.” “I knew that Rusty would be late, because he’s Rusty,” Davis said. “Every year at the Black panel, I make the point … every year we used to have a panel called Blacks in Comics, and people complained complained complained. I said ‘Let’s be positive.’ But this year, whatever you wanna talk about, no matter how good it makes me look, it’s all on the table. This is the most important moment in the history of African Americans since the ‘Black Panther’ announcement from BET. Anything goes, be respectful of the fact there are kids here.” His phone rang, and even he said, “That’s ghetto…”

“We had another presentation … what’s up Captain America?” Davis said to a Black man dressed like Captain America. “It’s 10:11 …”

“I was waiting on the Falcon …” the fan responded.

The panel was open for questions immediately, starting with a Milestone question, wondering why BET never picked up the show (forgetting that BET is owned by Viacom and at the time Hudlin and Cowan didn’t work there).

“I can answer part of it,” Cowan said. “None of the characters were intended for a niche market. Milestone is for everybody. I have to pause at the first part of your question. As far as future plans, keep your eyes open, because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Leave hopeful,” Hudlin said. “The success of ‘Black Panther’ will make room for more Black superheroes on television.”

Davis reminisced on the origins of the company and its inclusiveness in terms of content and fandom.

“I got a comic book coming out,” Method Man said. “I’ve been reading since I was six years old, since I didn’t have a TV. Wait, what was the question? I’m working on a few more kids. David Atchison helped with the writing part … no, he did the writing part.”

“The Method Man comic book is done by an excellent artist, Sanford Greene,” Cowan said. ” I was reading it and I was thrilled.”

A fan asked about a controversial cartoon BET released virally called “Read A Book,” and Hudlin considered it a perfect satire of hip hop. “The most shocking thing you could say in hip hop is ‘read a book.’ Crazy talk! For me it was about a parody of the current state of hip hop. This song would never get heard unless we make a video for it. We previewed it here at Comic-Con, and somebody boot legged it, and it was on YouTube. People commented saying ‘this is the sort of stuff BET should be doing!’ Which was funny, because … we did it.” He claimed the controversy came from people who didn’t appreciate satire and the intelligence of youth.

Another cell phone rang, and Davis called out an audience member for looking around like it wasn’t their phone.

The guy in the Isaiah Bradley costume asked if BET will take on this one as well. “It really is up to everybody in this audience,” Hudlin said. “If we can make this a successful series. It begins one step at a time.”

Davis expressed love for the guy, and they then shared a comical hug.

“They don’t have this kind of fun at the Marvel panel!” Davis said to Dokes. “They don’t let John on the Marvel panel …”

Another BET question came up, and Davis asked, “You know there is a BET panel right after this, right?”

“Yeah, I read,” the fan responded to riotous laughter.

“If you come to the BET panel …” Cowan said.

“There will be chicken!” Davis exclaimed.

“I always wanted to do a comic book,” Method Man said. “When the opportunity came up, I just was throwin’ ideas from everything, David Atchison put it all in a tasty stew. How would I like it to further my career? We got my man Reggie Hudlin over there, I’d like it to become a cartoon … or a movie!”

Rusty Cundieff showed up at 10:34 as a fan asked if the NAACP and Black organizations are helping the efforts to make these images and concepts more popular.

“I directed ‘Fear of a Black Hat’ and ‘Chapelle’s Show,’ I don’t have to be on time,” Davis joked.

“I thought it was fear of a Black panel,” Cundieff said.

Davis recounted a story about a Motown animation project called “Monkeybutt …” where the NAACP protested without having the full information. “There’s a lot of illusions about African American companies. I’ll work with anybody who’s professional. I prefer African American companies, because I like Black people. That doesn’t stop me from taking a check from Microsoft.”

“You’ll normally hear about Black political organizations in the negative,” Hudlin said. “Even when we announced ‘Black Panther.’ There’s a culture war in America. There’s a debate about what’s positive and what’s negative. Instead of pulling up and acknowledging that, everyone asks ‘my point is correct, why can’t you acknowledge that?’ Until we can stop do that, we can’t find an elevated level of discourse.”

“I’ve never felt the effect of the NAACP in my hood,” Method Man said. “I never seen them come through and hand out turkeys, that was the drug dealers.”

“I work for Tour.com now, and previously building Sarahferguson.com,” Cheltenham said. She talked about the “Darker Mass” anthology featuring superhero fiction from the likes of Steven Barnes and Walter Mosely.

Davis wondered why we don’t have a DJ at these panels, which led Method Man to beat box before Davis assistant cued up “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan, and he danced off stage for a moment. “You don’t get a DJ at the Marvel panel!”

“I’m a contributor to a large online site of Disney fans,” the next questioner said.

“I’m a big fan of porn,” Davis responded.

The panel was asked about Disney’s “The Princess and The Frog” to complete silence. “I hate to comment on anything I haven’t seen,” Hudlin said.

“Ultimately, we hope it’s really good,” Cowan said. “If it’s really good, it’s good for everybody. It kind of cracks open the door in a big way. More power to Disney, and hopefully it’ll work out. They’ll probably sell a lot of toys.”

“We do need a Black princess,” Hudlin said.

“We have a Black princess — Omorosa!” Davis said.

Dokes said that the Black Panther was going to appear in video games. “He has to elevate in the market, and what BET is doing with Marvel is gonna help do that.”

A fan asked about artists who look less “ethnic” working more than others, which made former “Firestorm” artist artist Jamal Igle on one side of the room want to chime in. “I came on to a book mired in controversy because they took a white character and killed him to replace him with a young Black character from Detroit, who was on his way to college, who made the mistake of making a delivery and got super powers. He’s trying to develop himself as a hero, and I’m getting flack about it for decisions I didn’t even make. I didn’t start the book until issue eight. I think because of what I get and what a lot of people get is because you’re known by your name. Ryan Stelfreeze is not the first name you’d think of as a Black man, but he’s a strong Black man. I’m Jamal Igle, it doesn’t get much Blacker than that.”

“Larry Washington!” Davis said.

Igle continued, “If you’re a Black artist, you’re going to run into obstacles. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it, it just means it’s going to be harder.”

“They treat the music now like fast food,” Method Man said. “Ringtone music, artists are dropping every week. The music is suffering, and you can’t just blame the artists. As far as Wu-Tang, I could care less what they play on the radio, and what videos there are, because at my shows, they’re packed saying ‘Wu-Tang, Wu-Tang’ … don’t judge the book by its cover. You might choke on some of that bad food on a plane and be like ‘Lil Wayne just saved my life!’”

Hudlin noted that BET was putting out a DVD on Wu-Tang history later this year.

Do people have to change the race of their characters? “Denys and I walked out of meeting with a big development person who asked if we could make him a white guy?”

“Don’t listen to people like that,” Cowan said. “When I got into comic books, I drew what characters appealed to me, but it wasn’t in order to get a job, I had to draw white characters. I wanted to do Deathlok, I wanted to do Power Man and iron Fist, I wanted to do Black Panther. But I also wanted to do Batman, and did.”

“You have to have self confidence,” Cheltenham said. “Sometimes that comes across as bitch, and Kimora Lee Simmons said that’s okay. She’s fabulous, so I’m gonna go with that.”

“I’ve had editors and agents try to steer me to look more like Terry Dodson or Adam Hughes, and that’s where I rebelled,” Igle said. “That’s the only way you’re going to survive. You have to follow the voice inside you.”

BadAzzMofo creator David Walker stepped up to the mic to ask about how do people create more buzz and publicity for their work. “What are people going to do to support creators who haven’t made it up there yet?”

“It’s scary how you can never feel like you’ve made it,” Hudlin said. “I feel like I’m struggling every day. I was having come of age career wise in a pre-internet era. Because everyone can have a voice and a blog, it’s harder to make noise. One of the interesting theories is that in this era, brands mean more. Wu-Tang is a fantastic example of people coming together and creating a new brand. It will carry those guys forever. That tipping point is a hell of a thing. All of a sudden, it happens. What was the difference? You didn’t stop.”

“I was talking to some people about this the other night,” Cundiefff said. “There’s so many opportunities. What it’s created is a bunch of content providers, so many content providers in so many distribution bases that to really get known you have to be exemplary and spectacular as an individual. When I did ‘Fear of a Black Hat,’ I was surprised how many people came to see it because there weren’t a lot of Black films. Now, you can make a living just below that middle ground. If you really want to do something to get out there, you have to do something incredible. When you talk about believing in yourself, a lot of people, I wanna say ‘stop believing.’ Try to find a way to honestly assess your ability against the marketplace. It’s just knowing what your skill set is and finding people who help you.”

“It doesn’t help when your friends and family tell you how good you are and you suck,” Davis said.

“I would encourage people to network as hard as you can,” Cheltenham said. “When you do things, you can rise up a little bit quicker.”

“Did you ask if there’s corporate interest in the advancement of Black people?” Hudlin asked a questioner.

“When you put it like that …” the fan said.

“I create an opportunity where there’s an existing infrastructure and tell them how to market it to Black people,” Davis said. “Every deal I’ve made has been with major companies.”

“There’s very few reliable supplies,” Hudlin said. “Are you talented? Can you deliver what you say you’re going to do? Are you timely? Can I sleep and not worry about what you’re going to do? There are some people who want to be good corporate citizens, but they have to be profitable corporations.”

“Not enough credit has been given to Reggie for ‘Black Panther,’” Dokes said of a question about portraying Black struggle. “From a Marvel standpoint, we try to do that in as many places as we can with as many characters as we can. Axel Alonso, Reggie’s editor, does that in as many places as he can. It helps when you come up to editors at the booth and tell us you’re missing elements. They think about that when they get back to the office, so keep bringing up these questions.”

“Everyone here is here to make things better, not worse,” Hudlin said. “A lot of people freaked out when I gave the Black Panther a little sister. I said ‘why not?’ Let’s give him a kick ass little sister. In the future, I showed her as a Black Panther herself. As a corporation, the vast majority of vice presidents in the entertainment are women. The majority of the BET audience is women. We have women in mind because they’re part of our audience.”

Cheltenham said, “I have to give a lot of respect to Michael because I asked him at New York Comic-Con why I’m not on this panel.”

“I’m looking for Asian women,” Davis said. “That was a joke, I love Black women. Stay strong!”

“Arsenio Hall has a show, but it wasn’t as good as Tyra,” Method Man said. “You’ve got Oprah Winfrey, y’all are everywhere. Especially in my house, I don’t run my house at all.”

“We’re in the middle of a paradigm shift,” Hudlin said about the question of funding. “Melvin Van Peebles has a great line, ‘Trouble is opportunity in work clothes.’ We have to use our natural futuristic nature as a culture to figure out where are things going and how can I get there first?”

“Where’s the money?” the fan asked.

“That’s for you to figure out,” Hudlin answered. “It’s always a hustle. There’s no blueprint on how to do things outside of the system. Robert Townsend used credit cards. Creativity isn’t just the product you make, it’s how to make the product.”

Are people working on electronic versions of their work for products like Kindle or iPhones? Dokes said, “You can read Marvel digital comics unlimited,” Dokes said. “This is something I came up with in the digtital media group. It’s a way to get comics out to a larger audience.”

“We have a ‘Three Shadows’ graphic novel on Tour.com,” Cheltenmam said.

The panel ran late and had to end with a discussion of networking, with Hudlin recommending talking to people at this very panel.

by Hannibal Tabu, Columnist

It’s been a while since we’ve done a DVD recommendation.  But yesterday, I watched Batman: Gotham Knight.  This is a compliation of six anime-style movie shorts that bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.   I was really impressed with the animation style of the 6 different vignettes and the stories.  I also liked how the writers were able to have the stories all relate to eachother in some way, quite unlike the Animatrix where each story was independant.   If you are a Batman fan and if you enjoy animation, you will like this.

Source: BET Networks July 15, 2008

BET Networks and Marvel Animation have announced they will unveil “The Black Panther” at the San Diego Comic-Con next week. The series premieres in the first quarter of 2009.

BET Networks and Marvel Animation are teaming up to produce an animated series based on the legendary superhero, THE BLACK PANTHER. Casting is already underway for the series that is slated to premiere in the first quarter of 2009. A special sneak preview will premiere at Comic-Con in July during BET’s panel on Saturday, July 26. The series will be adapted directly from the first six issues of the Marvel Comic written by Reginald Hudlin (issues #1 – #6 “Who Is The Black Panther”).

The partnership between Marvel Animation and BET Networks marks an important milestone in the expansion of the channel’s animation division and the realization of a project that has been a labor of love for BET’s President, Entertainment, Reginald Hudlin.

“As a lifelong comic book reader, I didn’t think anything could top the excitement of writing one of my favorite characters, the Black Panther. I’m so proud I’ve been able to maintain a successful run of the series over the past three years while keeping my ‘day job’ of programming a network. But now to have both of my worlds collide, to have a faithful adaptation of my own work as a prime time series on the network — it’s a dream come true. The Black Panther has always been an inspirational character to me, and now I get to share that inspiration with the widest audience he’s ever had.

“I’m very excited to be working with Marvel. It’s been great working with Joe Quesada and Axel Alonso on the publishing side, and I look forward to a similar experience with Eric Rollman and his team at Marvel Animation.

“I want to give special thanks to Denys Cowan, my SVP of Animation, who is doing a fantastic job of bringing the art of John Romita Jr. to life,” says Hudlin.

Eric Rollman, President of Marvel Animation adds, “The Black Panther is a working example of Marvel’s initiative to broaden our fan base by working with new and innovative partners. Reggie and his team can uniquely take material that is near and dear to them and re-imagine it for a whole new audience. We look forward to a long and successful relationship with BET.”

The Black Panther animated series is executive produced by Reginald Hudlin, President, Entertainment and Denys Cowan, SVP Animation for BET Networks. Eric Rollman, President of Marvel Animation, and Cort Lane, Director of Animation Development, are the executives on the series for Marvel.

http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=488

After seeing the image from the Wolverine film that Bedlam posted and the Hulk film still fresh on my mind.  I keep wondering what a live action clash between the two would look like.   I can only dream

Heres a a clip of the Anime style Gotham Knights.  The DVD bridges the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.  The DVD is out on July 8th.

Gary Dourdan’s Interview about Batman: Gotham Knight

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

My hope is that this will be Marvels answer to Justice League/Unlimited cartoon. Marvel nails live action films, but they have a real crappy record when it comes to animated television shows. I think they are trending upward recently with the direct to DVD films (Ultimates, Ultimates 2, Iron Man, etc.) and the Sensational Spiderman cartoon, but they have a long way to go before they can match the DCAU.

A two-minute trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars will debut simultaneously across five Time Warner networks on Thursday, May 8, Warner Bros. announced today.

The theatrical trailer will air at 7:58pm in all US time zones on Cartoon Network, TNT, TBS, CNN, and Boomerang, and then be made available for viewing at www.starwars.com. It will debut in movie theaters on Friday, May 9, along with the first poster for the movie.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars will open in theaters on August 15.

Source  Variety

Marvel Comics has signed a deal to turn one of its superheroes, the Black Panther, into a primetime animated series for BET, starting early next year.

BET made the announcement at its upfront presentation in New York as the highlight of a batch of new series being readied for the 2008-09 season, under the supervision of Reginald Hudlin, president of entertainment for BET.

My take on this is that this should have happened along time ago since Hudlin has been writing this book for a couple years.  I can’t wait to see some of the animation.

View Trailer

After watching this trailer it seems like this a marvel version of the recent Teen Titans cartoon which really isn’t a bad idea for Marvel, it could bring younger kids into the fold.   The problem is that this is a Direct to DVD film not a new show on Cartoon Network, Disney, or Kids CW.   Most successful direct to DVD films have a built in audience.   The recent New Frontier DVD was a top dvd the week it was released, because it had a built in audience of older fanboys.   The built in audience for Next Avengers doesn’t have a clue as to who these characters are or what this is about.   Its still early but they will need to really kick the marketing if they want this to be a successful.

For those of you who might have a little interest, here’s something from the man himself at Showest.

Source: USATODAY

The animated feature film The Clone Wars, coming Aug. 15, launches a new era in the Star Wars universe.
Director Dave Filoni says the film delves into the wartime exploits of Anakin Skywalker, who later becomes Darth Vader, and his mentor/friend Obi-Wan Kenobi. It’s about “the mission they are sent on, which brings them together as a mentor and student.”

Following the film in the fall is a new TV series that, Filoni says, “looks at the larger scope of the war and covers many characters and cultures.”

The TV series, set to show on the Cartoon Network and TNT, should not be confused with the short Clone cartoon clips shown earlier on CN. Some episodes even delve into the lives of the cloned warriors, who previously seemed interchangeable. As the live-action prequels revealed, the clones are reproductions of the bounty hunter Jango Fett, father of fan-favorite Boba Fett, himself a clone of his “father.”

“We have the chance to do an episode just about the clones and explore their personalities, which may be more unique than a lot of fans think,” Filoni says. “We also have the chance to use the many different Jedi, who we’ve only glimpsed in the features, which is exciting.”

Source Cyber-Animation.com

I have been waiting for marvel to something that remotely close to the outstanding job that DC did with the DCAU (Justice League Unlimited, Superman TAS, Batman TAS, Batman Beyond).    After watching this trailer I think they may finally come close.  Hopefull this will make up for the awful FF animated series they put out.

This is some of the new stuff they have on Marvel Kids. I think it a perfect example of how CGI could be used instead of traditonal 2D animation.

Source: Lying In The Gutters

Rich Johnston has uncovered the promo trailer for a live action He-man film. You gotta love the 80′s. Now if we could only get a live action Go-Bots movie (just kidding).

Get your first look at Marvel’s next animated series, the Spectacular Spider-Man, premiering on the WB! in 2008.

Source: www.worldsfinest.com

Worldsfinest.com has posted new scenes from the Superman: Doomsday direct to dvd movie.

Sphere: Related Content

]]> http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2007/08/20/superman-doomsday-scenes/feed/ 0 http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2007/08/07/the-avengers-reborn-formerly-the-teen-avengers-preview-on-isebnet/ http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2007/08/07/the-avengers-reborn-formerly-the-teen-avengers-preview-on-isebnet/#comments Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:22:43 +0000 Lobo http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2007/08/07/the-avengers-reborn-formerly-the-teen-avengers-preview-on-isebnet/

This would entertain anyone who is a fan of both Menace 2 Society and DBZ